Mirdita

Mirdita (Albanian: Mirditë) is a municipality in Lezhë County, Northeastern Albania, about 85 km north of Tirana. It has about 27,000 people (2011).

Understand
It contains a number of towns including Milot, Rrëshen and Rubik.

The region is known as a stronghold of Albanian nationalism and devout Catholicism. It is an ancient settlement area, traditional guest houses, full of trails for the adventurous, high pastures, cliffs, mountains, fascinating views, prehistoric caves, ruins of castles, and heavy with history of mining and isolation.

More than 200 churches and ruins are mentioned in the 15th century in Mirdita, evidence that this region was populated and had a religious tradition with deep roots. Rubik's Monastery has been mentioned since 1166.

By plane
Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza is 66 km away from Mirditë District.There you can get a taxi to the Regional Bus Terminal - North and South Albania just outside Tirana and wait for the Rrëshen bus to take you in Mirditë. Kukës International Airport Zayed is nearly 83 km from Mirditë. You can get a taxi or the bus to Tirana in Kukës and stop in Rubik or Rrëshen.

(Albanian: Aeroporti Ndërkombëtar i Kukësit Zayed-Flatrat e Veriut, IATA:), ICAO: LAKU) is an international airport 3.5 km (2.2 mi) south of the city of Kukës. 2 airlines operate service to Kukes, with direct flights from some European cities.


 * Air Albania, the national carrier operates service from Basel and Zurich.
 * Wizz Air (from Basel, Memmingen, Karlsruhe and Vienna).

By bus
Mirdita and its municipalities (urban: Rubik and Rrëshen, rural: Fan, Kaçinar, Kthellë, Orosh and Selitë) are accessible from Tirana or Kukës through A1 motorway. You can take the bus to Rrëshen at the Regional Bus Terminal - North and South Albania just outside Tirana. The departure is every one hour starting from 06.00 in the morning until 18.00 in the evening. The ticket to Milot costs 200 lekë (€1.50) and to Rubik 300 lekë (€2.50).

By car
From Tirana, Mirditë is 85 km away following the A1 motorway. The road from Montenegro will take you first to Shkodra, which is nearly 85 km from Mirditë following E851 and E762. If you come from Kosovo, the easiest way is through the A1 motorway. Mirditë is nearly 95 km from the Albanian border with Kosovo.

Get around
When you get there, you can get around by car, or better by foot so you can enjoy more the cities or the places in nature. As people are friendly, you may also ask for a ride from the hotel or passing locals.

See


Rubik Monastery Church (Albanian: Kisha e T'Shëlbuemit Rubikut) In Rubik but about a 45-minute walk from Mirdita. This church is at least 1,000 years old and of historical importance. Ever since it was constructed, it has served as a 4-year educational institution for people in the area. Some of the most famous Albanian writers and devoted religious figures such as At Gjergj Fishta and At Zef Pllumbi have been faculty members. The church has an old part that contains drawings and icons dating back to its founding. It also boasts a wonderful view of the city, as it is on the top of a hill.



Hiking
Cities in the region of Mirdita are a great opportunity for going hiking and visiting a lot of historical places at the same time. Some of them are marked with red and white symbols and different signs.

You can walk for 1 hour and 30 minutes and go to the Monastery Church in Rubik. The road is not difficult and you will not be alone because some friendly dogs of the places nearby will come and accompany you.

Rubik
Rubik is a village on Vela mountain at an elevation of 1,171 m above sea level, with steep rock walls and a wide variety of flora and fauna. You can take great hikes there, with beautiful views down to the sea. There is a place where you can take long walks and enjoy an outstanding nature and sea view from high peaks, combined with religion, history, tradition and culture. Eco-tourism is also possible, as there is a guest house, hotels and restaurants serving local products in the region of Katund i Vjetër. You can also find medical herbs in autumn in Rubik, if you know where to look. There is an annual pilgrimage of Lady of Vela on the first Saturday of June to a nearby Catholic shrine. Rubik has houses with towers and stone carvings, Church of the Shëlbuemi, pictograms, Vela mountain, many historical and natural monuments and ruins of Middle Ages buildings.

Buy
Usually a lot of people that come in Mirdite and in the cities around, have a stop in Milot to buy fresh fruits and vegetables from the region. It is a place where you can find fresh and tasty fruits and vegetables from the villages nearby with a great price. In the most crowded places (e.g. city center), you can find souvenirs and also traditional Albanian clothing.

Eat
The food in this place is traditional Albanian food. Food is mostly fresh and homemade. You can try a lot of traditional Albanian food such as byrek (pie) with yoghurt, spinach, potatoes and cheese; cooked vegetables, tavë dheu (fërgesë) and roasted meat.

Lakrori (cooked with blood, pork brain and melted fat or as they say in their dialect "zhikrra").

Petë me kungull (Pumpkin noodles).

Laknuri with rena — Porridge of flour and lard. Today, butter is used instead of lard.

The "queen" of the table at Christmas time is Byreku me arra (walnut pie); noodles stacked on top of each other oiled and in the middle layer two reindeer with crushed walnuts.

Drink
There you can find the most varied drinks including homemade alcoholic drinks such as rakija (rakija made of plums and grape) and wine (in this region, in the segment of the road, it is a winery that is called Arbëri winery.) Also you can find them in every restaurant and guesthouse there. You can also find a lot of non alcoholic drinks such as dhallë (made of yogurt, water and salt) and a variety of fresh juices made of fruits from the villages.

Go next

 * Pukë
 * Kukës
 * Shkoder
 * Tirana
 * Prizren